The Rapid City Rush are wrapping up their home stand this weekend in a three-game series against the Wichita Thunder.
Last Week
Last week, the Rush were at home taking on the Iowa Heartlanders. Rapid won the first game 4-3 in overtime. They were then able to take the second game 4-2 and then completed the sweep with a 1-0 win.
The Wichita Thunder were at home last week, taking on the Utah Grizzlies. The Thunder took the first game 5-2 and then finished the two-game series with a 3-2 overtime win.
Incoming Stats
The Rush and Thunder have met six times this season, where the Thunder have dominated, going 5-0-1-0. Rapid City is currently sixth in the Mountain Division, while Wichita sits ten points ahead of them in fourth.
The Rapid City Rush enter this series with a home record of 16-9-2-3 and an overall record of 27-24-6-3. They are converting at 19.8% on the power play (13th) and 78.3% on the penalty kill (25th). The Rush are averaging 31.92 shots per game but are also allowing an average of 34.10 shots against per game. They are averaging 3.08 goals per game while allowing an average of 3.55 goals against per game. Rapid City currently leads the league with ten shorthanded goals.
The Wichita Thunder come into the series with a road record of 13-9-4-0 and an overall record of 33-20-6-1. The Thunder are converting at 21.7% on the power play (4th) and have a penalty kill rate of 78.2% (26th). They are averaging 3.58 goals per game while allowing an average of 3.02 goals against per game. The Thunder are averaging 30.65 shots per game and allowing an average of 35.87 shots against per game.
Players to Watch
The player to watch for the Wichita Thunder is forward Michal Stinil. In 51 games, he has 23 goals and 45 assists for 68 points. He currently leads the Thunder in assists and points and is third on the team in goals. Stinil is second in the league in points and is third in the league in assists. He is coming into the series on a 10-game point streak with three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in that time. He is also on a 16-game road point streak with eight goals and 20 assists for 28 points. Stinil’s road point streak started on December 13, 2024, when he got a hat trick against the Rush in Rapid City to help the Thunder to a 9-2 win.
The player to watch for Rapid City is forward Jackson Leppard. He is currently on a nine-game point drought, but it has not been for a lack of effort. Leppard’s line with Braeden Tuck and Jack Jeffers has become a huge momentum line for the Rush, whether it is scoring a goal or even just upping the physicality of the game. Leppard’s line was not on the score sheet a lot last week against the Heartlanders, but their physicality and domination on the ice played a huge role in the Rush pulling off the sweep. Leppard also currently sits four points away from hitting 100 career points in the ECHL.
Rapid City and Wichita will begin their series on Friday, March 21. The Rush will host Rush Fights Cancer Night for the second game on Saturday, March 22, before wrapping up the series with Sensory Friendly Night on Sunday, March 23. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. MT on Friday and Saturday and 4:05 p.m. MT on Sunday.
Discover more from Inside The Rink
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
